Disclaimer: I do not own MGLN or Sailor Moon
The White Devil of the Moon
By Bissek
Chapter 6
Briefings and Debriefings
The palace was burning. Its halls echoed with the sounds of battle and the cries of the wounded and dying. The palace guards had long known that the infrequent full court gatherings were a security nightmare û a bombing or attack could result in the near total destruction of the upper tiers of the Moon KingdomÆs government. One of the precautions in place was to have the Senshi on call to respond to any trouble reported by the outer perimeter of guards, so that any serious attack could be stopped before it got to the palace proper.
Unfortunately, that strategy made the basic assumption that the outer perimeter would last long enough to sound the alarm. By the time the attack was noticed, the youma had breached the palace walls and were roaming the hallways. And the phenomenal power of the Sailor Senshi wasnÆt really suited for close quarters. Any one of them could have decimated the attacking ranks with a powerful blast of elemental magic had they been fighting the invaders outside of the palace. Inside the palace, they couldnÆt use their full power without endangering the members of the court they were trying to protect. Also, the attackers had spread out after the initial breach, which meant that there generally werenÆt enough youma in any one place that the raw power of a Senshi wiping them out would have any significant impact on the battle as a whole. There was no longer any real possibility of victory in this battle. Only the faint hope that they could evacuate enough people that there would be a chance of rebuilding once the carnage stopped.
That was what Sailor Venus had been sent to do û to protect the QueenÆs heir so that she could hopefully create a new Moon Kingdom from the ashes of the old. The Queen knew that she was unlikely to survive using the Ginzuisho to stop the attackers, so she had entrusted the leader of her Senshi with the task of guarding the girl who would be queen, one way or another, by the time this night was done.
Venus ran through the hallways, cutting down any youma to cross her path with her crystal sword. Her body was covered in minor wounds, she was drenched in sweat, and she was panting for breath from exertion. It didnÆt matter. The Queen had entrusted her with the task of ensuring the Moon KingdomÆs future, and she would fulfill her duty, no matter what.
After fighting her way across what seemed like several miles of the palace hallways, Venus finally found Princess Serenity and her betrothed cornered in what had been a room with a rear exit before a ceiling collapse destroyed it. With no time to catch her breath, she raised her blade and attacked the youma closing in on her future queen.
Venus had barely managed to finish off the last of the youma when another figure entered the room û Kunzite, one of Prince EndymionÆs generals and one of the individuals reported as leading the army of youma in their attack. Were it not for the fact that the monsters were attacking the visiting dignitaries from Earth as readily as they did the locals, she might have suspected that the entire battle was a plot by EndymionÆs people to conquer the Moon Kingdom. No matter. Right now she had to perform her duty. Worrying about how this catastrophe came to be could wait.
ôYouà goà noà further.ö She gasped.
ôIÆd like to see you stop me.ö He countered.
As their blades clashed, Venus knew she was at a disadvantage. She had been worn down by continuous fighting, her opponent was still fresh. Kunzite was also good enough that he wasnÆt likely to leave her an opening on purpose. Venus found herself on the defensive, knowing even as she blocked her enemyÆs attacks that she was more likely to make the first mistake than he was if she remained that way. She had to break his pattern and create an opening, or she would lose the fight.
As KunziteÆs blade swung at her side, Venus saw a chance to take the offensive. The timing would be harder than a simple block, but it would give her the opening she needed to actually strike her opponent. She urged her exhausted muscles to move her sword into position for a counter.
She wasnÆt fast enough. KunziteÆs blade sank into her ribs, cutting deep into her torso. Her sword dropped from her fingers as she fell to the ground. The relief that had entered the eyes of the princess changed to despair as her champion died. As she bled out on the floor, VenusÆs last thought was that she had failed her queen.
Minako jerked upright as the nightmare ended. Realizing that she was not going to get back to sleep after that, no matter what the time, she staggered out of bed, clutching her side as it ached in phantom pain. Those TV psychics who prattled on about getting in touch with their past lives had clearly never actually done it û if they had, they wouldnÆt have been interested in talking about it in public.
Why couldnÆt she ever relive a fun memory of her past life, like a really hot date or something? She had never once relived a moment where Sailor Venus had enjoyed herself. The most common memory by far was the night she died; leaving Minako to cope with the echoes of her past lifeÆs dying guilt over failing in her duties. The knowledge that she had actually managed to successfully protect the princess from the agents of the Dark Kingdom in the time since she last relived that night had not blunted the feeling.
Minako wondered if her colleagues suffered from chronic nightmares of their deaths at the hands of BerylÆs minions back in the Silver Millennium. TheyÆd never really felt comfortable enough around each other to compare notes on such things.
Maybe, if she was really lucky, the memories, or at least that specific memory, would stop coming to mind once the war was over once and for all. That would be nice. Minako wondered when Nanoha and Fate would contact her. She had a feeling that the lull caused by JadeiteÆs death wouldnÆt last forever.
Yuuno drifted across the Infinite Library. It had taken years of work, but he had finally gotten the TSABÆs main archive organized enough that data requests could be responded to in less than a week if they landed on the desk of anyone other than him. Maybe now he could delegate some of the work load to his assistants and take some time off for some archeological work that was his original job. So far, every time he had done that before, he had found an enormous workload waiting for him, passed on from other librarians who couldnÆt track down the information that was requested. Once they had actually had to pull him from a dig to get his help with a critical case.
He and Nanoha had drifted apart over the years, mainly because both of them were too busy for anything to possibly grow between them. He knew that there were people who speculated that he had been in a serious relationship with the Ace of Aces, but nothing had ever really happened. Other people had made similar speculation concerning Nanoha and Fate (something that Yuuno suspected that Fate wouldnÆt mind being true), but as far as he could tell, Nanoha was married to her job. At least, she had been up until her hospital stay forced her to realize that the only serious relationship she had gotten into had turned abusiveà
The Device he had acquired to replace Raising Heart announced that he had a call. Bringing up the comm window, he saw that it was Hayate.
ôHello, Yuuno.ö Hayate said. ôWe just got a message from Fate.ö
ôI thought Fate said she didnÆt want any communication between her and us until she got back from vacation,ö Yuuno pointed out, ôSomething about how if Nanoha heard of anything that she felt she was needed to help deal with, sheÆd push herself too hard and wreck her convalescence.ö This was something that Yuuno felt was worryingly plausible.
ôIÆm afraid that despite FateÆs best efforts, work found them. Nanoha ended up overstraining her Linker Core again when someone attacked her brotherÆs wedding. Fate sent us some background data from a civilian mage who helped contain the attack, but itÆs a little strange. Could you do some research into this and see if you can corroborate any of this?ö
Yuuno sighed. It looked like his break from library work to go back to archeology would have to be postponed. Looking over the file he had just been sent, he prepared to search for any information he could find on a long-destroyed nation known as the Moon Kingdom.
Two days later, Yuuno was called to a meeting to present the results of his research. Straightening the stack of notes he had taken, he walked to the head of the conference room.
ôGood afternoon, gentlemen,ö He began, taking the tone of voice he used when delivering a paper to a seminar, ôIÆve been looking into the background information provided to us by the civilian mage who aided in defeating the attempted assassination of Lt. Takamachi. While I have not been able to find any evidence to prove or disprove the alleged connection between Lt. Takamachi and this Moon Kingdom, I have been able to find records proving that this Moon Kingdom existed.
ôThis Moon Kingdom, or perhaps, Queendom, since it appeared to be matriarchic, existed during the same time period as Al-Hazard. There was limited contact between the two civilizations, but there is no evidence of any kind of regular diplomatic communication or regular trade routes between them. This is why earlier research into the history of Al-Hazard didnÆt notice or comment on them.
ôThe Moon Kingdom was a multi-planet polity that occupied a single solar system, controlling just about everything there except for one planet which was self-governed. Judging from what weÆve been told by Enforcer Harlaown, that independent planet was probably Unadministered Planet #97. The Sailor Senshi mentioned in the original report were apparently an elite mage unit which consisted of one representative of each planet in the Moon Kingdom.
ôThe artifact known as the Ginzuisho also existed. It appears to be an extremely powerful Lost Logia similar to the Jewel Seeds, which had a disturbingly high chance of killing the user. Because of this, it was apparently only used in emergencies. It was supposed to only be usable by the Queen or her heir, but IÆm not sure of the accuracy of that claim. It was considered to be one of the crown jewels, so itÆs highly unlikely that anyone else would ever be able to get a hold of it long enough to try using it.
ôAs to what caused the collapse of the Moon Kingdom, IÆm afraid that I canÆt say. The second to last record I was able to find didnÆt mention any known internal or external threat threatening the region. The absolute last record reports finding every single planet, station, moon and asteroid in the Moon Kingdom being completely depopulated, with the population Unadministered Planet #97 having been blasted back to barbarism. These two records are roughly three months apart in time. Since nobody could figure out what had caused the calamity, let alone whether or not said cause was likely to return, no attempts to claim the now deserted territory were made.ö
ôSo thereÆs no evidence of this entity known as Metallia?ö An admiral asked.
ôThereÆs no mention of it, but the only records we have come from casual outside observers, and even those are fragmentary. ItÆs quite possible that these observers never heard of this Metallia, even if a significant fraction of the populace knew of its existence. Whatever it was that destroyed the Moon Kingdom, it struck hard enough and fast enough to wipe out an entire civilization û one which had spread across an entire solar system û to the last man. And when it struck, it did so fast enough that there were no distress calls sent, no refugee ships fleeing the system, and no evidence of its existence other than the destruction left in its wake.ö
ôAnd this disaster is going to repeat?ö
ôIt might,ö Hayate responded, ôAccording to the basic briefing we received from this Sailor Venus, Metallia was never destroyed, just incapacitated at a horrific cost. This Dark Kingdom appears to be trying to revive it. If it really was capable of wiping out almost all life in a solar system in three months or less, thereÆs no telling how much damage would result if it attacks again. It might not stop with destroying just one system.ö
The admiral looked troubled by that point. ôThank you for bringing this matter to my attention. Expect your orders in regards to this situation to arrive shortly.ö
Nanoha was resting in her own bed. With the wedding over and Kyouya off on his honeymoon, she and Fate had moved out of the hotel room in Tokyo and gone back to Unimari. While they both knew they would have to do something about the Dark Kingdom issue eventually, Nanoha wanted to be able to spend some time with her family and childhood friends.
Things were different in Unimari. Back when she was starting out as a mage, the only people without TSAB connections to know about her magical abilities were her relatives, Arisa, and Suzuka. Now, everybody knew. And while the majority of the population of Mid-Childa had magical abilities to some extent (though most did not come close to NanohaÆs power level), mages were an extreme rarity here on Unadministered Planet #97. Former classmates, many of whom she barely knew, wanted to know more about magic and her association with the apparently legendary Sailor Senshi. The Takamachis had been ultimately forced to have Aruf drive all unwanted guests away.
Aunt Misato had been able to find some information about the Sailor Senshi. While they had mainly been considered an urban legend, one of them, Sailor V, or Venus as she was later known, had been in the habit of doing occasional vigilante work in addition to hunting alleged (and now confirmed) monsters. She had a fairly good reputation with the police forces she had crossed paths with, although said officials in general were reluctant to publicly admit that they needed the assistance of any kind of vigilante, let alone a teenaged girl in a figure skating outfit, to keep the streets safe.
Nanoha heard a set of footsteps approach her room. She was surprised to find that her visitor was Shamal.
ôYouÆve certainly managed to mess yourself up, havenÆt you, Nanoha?ö She asked. Realizing that the question was rhetorical, Nanoha remained silent as Shamal activated Klair Wind and began her examination. Shamal frowned as she completed her investigation.
ôYou managed to seriously mess up your Linker Core, Nanoha,ö She pointed out, ôItÆs almost in as bad a shape it was in when you came out the coma. If you do something like that again, youÆll risk losing the ability to use magic completely.ö
Nanoha winced. Losing her magic forever? To never be able to fly again? That was something that had haunted her nightmares during the long months in the hospital when she was relearning how to walk. If it hadnÆt been for FateÆs help, she might have given up all hope.
ôIÆm afraid that IÆm going to have to insist that you not use any magic at all for the foreseeable future, Nanoha,ö Shamal continued. Nanoha nodded.
ôAre the others coming?ö Nanoha asked.
ôHayate just got approval to investigate the Lost Logia known as the Ginzuisho and the potential dimensional threat designated as Metallia. SheÆs with the rest of the Wolkenritter and our support team setting up a headquarters in Tokyo. Yuuno also came along. He said he was interested in doing some research on this Moon Kingdom. I was sent to check up on you and pick you up.ö
MinakoÆs patrol had seen some action, but not as much as there could have been. The Dark Kingdom operation had apparently been supported by two youma and one of the robots. The youma had been easy enough to deal with once she found a way to separate them from the robot. She still hadnÆt figured out exactly what had happened to the robot. Around the time she had finished with the second youma, she had heard an enraged scream and a lot of crashing noises. When Venus had made it to the sound of the commotion, the robot had apparently been smashed to scrap by a large hammer. The person who had demolished the robot was not around, but Venus thought that she had glimpsed something red briefly go by in the distance.
Reaching for her communicator, Venus was about to cancel the call for reinforcements she had put in (which would undoubtedly result in her colleagues being understandably upset about the unneeded disruption to their limited spare time) when she received a call. Opening the communicator, she saw that the caller was Fate.
ôSailor Venus?ö Fate asked.
ôYes?ö Venus responded.
ôWeÆd like to speak with you and your associates,ö This was followed by a time and place.
ôWeÆll be there.ö
ôGood. Oh, yes. Some friends of mine just came to town. One of them is rather upset about what happened to Nanoha, and is looking for something to vent on. If you see her, donÆt get in her way, you could get hurt û VitaÆs rather dangerous when sheÆs angry. ItÆs not hard to recognize her û sheÆs a little girl in a red dress with plush bunny heads on her hat and carries a metal croquet mallet. Whatever you do, do not make fun of her hat.ö
Venus looked as the wrecked machine she was standing next to. ôI think sheÆs already passed through here. IÆll see you at the meeting.ö With that, the conversation ended.
It had been nearly a week since the battle at the wedding. Up until that call was made, the most interesting development since that fight was the newspaper article that speculated that the attack might have been connected to a terrorist group whose leader had been killed by the groom during an attempt to kidnap Fiasse Crystela several years previously. This at least explained why the singer had been willing to attend the wedding, and how the guests were able to hold off JadeiteÆs troops for so long. But now, events were starting to move forward.
Venus set her communicator to æsend to allÆ and said five words that she had been hoping to speak or hear for well over a year.
ôThe Princess has summoned us.ö
Sailor Mars was understandably nervous as she approached the place where she and the other Senshi were to meet their princess at last. The princess had little reason to like her and Mars was forced to admit that the anticipated antipathy was justified. But how was she supposed to know that the unknown magical girl who hovered around the princess constantly was well intentioned? The Senshi as a whole had seen far too many cases of agents of the Dark Kingdom who had disguised themselves as ordinary people to get close to their target. The most painful example in MarsÆs eyes was her last battle from her previous life, where she had saved the life of a young girl from a group of youma, only to have the girl turn into another youma and fatally wound her from behind as she tried to move on to the next fight. The last thing she saw in that life was the youma that had killed her being cut down by Sailor Jupiter.
After everyone had gathered in a park that was close to the meeting place, they all headed towards the place where they were told that their princess was waiting for them. When Venus knocked on the door, Mars was surprised to find the door opened by a girl in a uniform who was only one foot tall and was floating in midair.
ôYou must be NanohaÆs knights!ö The miniature girl said. ôIÆm Sergeant First Class Reinforce Zwei. WeÆve been expecting you.ö
While that title wasnÆt exactly correct, it was close enough to the truth that none of the Senshi bothered to correct it. Mars did wonder how the living doll had managed to get a military rank as she led the Senshi inside.
The princess was sitting in a recliner, with two enormous dogs lying at her feet. She was dressed in what appeared to be a uniform of a different style than that worn by the tiny sergeant. There was a small ferret resting on her shoulder.
Four Senshi approached the princessÆs makeshift throne and knelt. They remained there, waiting for their future queen to acknowledge them. The moment was broken by the sound of a camera taking a picture. Heads turned to see another uniformed woman holding a camera.
ôHayate!ö The princess protested.
The other girl giggled. ôSorry, Nanoha, but we just had to capture this moment of history. Even if your subjects did fail to follow proper protocol in these matters,ö The photographer turned to address the Senshi. ôRoyalty or not, no soldier is entitled to a genuflection. When your monarch is in uniform, youÆre supposed to bow, not kneel.ö
While Luna bristled at the implication that she had failed to educate the Senshi properly in court protocol (something that the Senshi as a whole had not considered to be very important while they were busy trying to keep Beryl from destroying the world) and the Senshi climbed to their feet, several other people entered the room.
ôLet me introduce you to the TSAB personnel who have been assigned to this case.ö The princess began. ôMost of you have met Fate and Aruf,ö indicating the blonde that all of the Senshi were familiar with and her dog, which was considerably larger than Mars remembered, ôThe others are Yuuno,ö indicating the ferret, ôHayate,ö The girl with the camera, ôAnd HayateÆs knights, Signum, Vita, Shamal, Zafira, and Rein,ö Who were, respectively, a tall woman with pink hair, a very young redhead, a blonde who looked like a doctor, the grey dog, and the miniature girl the Senshi had already met. ôHayate is in charge.ö
ôYouÆre not going to lead us, your Highness?ö Artemis asked.
ôI canÆt. First, IÆm in no condition to be on the front lines. Second, IÆm a combat instructor, not a commander. Finally, Hayate is a major. IÆm just a first lieutenant. She outranks me.ö
That was something that none of the Senshi had considered. Their princess did not see herself as a ruler. She saw herself as a member of a foreign military force, and was deferring to her superiors in that force. From the perspective of a girl who mainly wanted the war to be over so that she didnÆt have to fight anymore, Mars didnÆt particularly care about that so long as this resulted in the Dark Kingdom going down, but she was willing to bet that Luna wouldnÆt care for that development one bit.
ôNow,ö The princess continued, ôWill you please identify yourselves? Your barrier jackets seem to have some disguise function built into them.ö
The Senshi exchanged glances. At VenusÆs nod, they all released their transformations. The princessÆs eyes widened as she recognized VenusÆs civilian identity. ôMinako?ö
ôHello, Nanoha.ö Minako said.
The two exchanged a look that clearly stated that they would need to talk at a later point, and then the major intervened.
ôI believe that some of you were involved in an unprovoked assault on a TSAB Enforcer a few weeks ago. Would the individuals responsible for that please identify themselves?ö
Knowing that she had to take responsibility for her potentially disastrous actions, Rei stepped forward, joined by Luna, Makoto, and Mamoru.
ôAttacking a police officer is a serious crime,ö The major stated, ôEven if the perpetrator is unaware of that the individual they assault is an officer of the peace. We would be well within our rights to lock you all up for several years. I hope you all understand that.ö The four nodded silently as they saw the princess look at them disapprovingly.
ôHowever, we have other possible sentences for crimes of this nature, which I believe may be valid given the circumstances. One of these is to sentence the perpetrators to a period of community service under TSAB supervision. Many of them even go on to join us full time when their sentence is over. I think you understand what IÆm getting at.ö
Rei did understand. If she agreed to work for the PrincessÆs employers while they worked to defeat the Dark Kingdom, she would be forgiven. The price she was to pay for her mistake was to complete her mission as a Sailor Senshi. All in all, the punishment was much lighter than she had feared it would be.
ôJust remember,ö Hayate continued. ôIf any of you cause any more trouble, we wonÆt be so merciful.ö
What followed was the most mentally exhausting experience the Senshi had ever been through. The Moon Cats were led off by the ferret, who surprised all of the Senshi by transforming into a young man shortly after jumping off the princessÆs shoulder (causing Minako to look at Artemis with extreme suspicion when it was revealed that the young man was a human who could turn into a ferret rather than the other way around). The cats were then subjected to an exhaustive interview about every single piece of background information they could extract from their scrambled memories about the chain of events that led up to the fall of the Moon Kingdom.
Meanwhile, the Senshi were getting a similar treatment concerning the current war against the Dark Kingdom. They were asked about exact time and location of every battle they had fought, the details of which were plotted on a large map of the area, which was analyzed by other people in the hopes of finding some sort of pattern. They were asked to provide detailed descriptions of all of the known field commanders in the Dark Kingdom, complete with whatever abilities they had demonstrated. They were questioned on the specific details of all of their battles. All of these efforts were hindered by the fact that apart from Ami, who had recorded a great deal of information in her computer, none of them had ever thought about doing something like this before, and after a year and a half of combat, the details started to blur together.
It took hours, and when it was over, they had all reasserted their opinion that they did not want to stay in that line of work any longer than they absolutely had to. When they were finally allowed to leave, they were told to return the next day for an evaluation of their combat skills.
Upon returning the next day, they discovered that the TSAB had the ability to create time/space distortions in which they could train without being observed by outsiders or destroying the landscape. Then they were set against several low end TSAB agents while their princess and her friends observed them from their base.
ôThey arenÆt very well coordinated. They donÆt seem to be able to do much in the way of joint tactics unless Mercury comes up with a plan and tells the others about it out loud. Which gives the plan away.ö Hayate noted.
ôThey arenÆt very good at keeping track of everyone on the battlefield, either. Look at how Venus and Jupiter just managed to get in each otherÆs way.ö Nanoha added.
ôThey donÆt seem to have many spells, and what they have arenÆt very fast.ö Fate continued, and then winced as one TSAB mage was enveloped in a fireball. ôBut if they see an opening, they can definitely make a hit count. IÆm not sure they know how to pull a hit.ö
ôThatÆs not surprising,ö Signum said. ôFrom what IÆve heard, only one of them has experience in fights which werenÆt literal life-or-death battles. TheyÆve probably never had any use for non-lethal spells, even if they had someplace to hold a prisoner once they had one.ö
The others nodded. They could certainly understand focusing oneÆs training to meet the problems they knew they would be facing. It was a known fact that SignumÆs skill in fire magic could incinerate a large forest in minutes but couldnÆt heat a furo without cooking the bather alive. As a Belkan knight, it had never occurred to her to use her magic for non-martial purposes until fairly recently.
ôYouÆre right,ö Nanoha agreed. ôThe two sides are fighting with different rules of engagement. Our people are fighting as if theyÆre in a police action. TheyÆre trying to contain and capture their opponents. The Senshi are fighting as if theyÆre in a war. TheyÆre trying to take their opponents out of action as quickly as possible. If it wasnÆt for the difference in training, this would totally one sided.ö
ôWhat are their power levels like?ö Hayate asked.
ôIt looks like theyÆre all functioning around A class, but they arenÆt even close to operating at their full capacity. It looks like every single one of them will end up as AAA class or higher if they reach their full potential.ö The technician running the monitor reported.
Fate cringed. If the two that had ambushed her been close to their full power, they might very well have been able to kill her.
The mock battle ended with Jupiter knocking the last two TSAB mages unconscious with her bare hands after all the other Senshi had been caught in binds. A win for the Senshi, but a rather Pyrrhic one considering that the match had been 5 A class mages against 6 C class mages.
Nanoha walked up to the console and pressed a button. A comm window appeared inside the training area.
ôAlright, thatÆs enough for now. Help the injured get back to base for treatment and then you can call it a night. IÆll let you know when IÆm ready to conduct your first lesson.ö She said.
The barrier dispersed, and the injured were carted off to ShamalÆs care. Then the Senshi dispersed.
As Nanoha worked out how best to train her would-be protectors, Hayate and the Wolkenritter resumed their examination of the SenshiÆs debriefing, trying to figure out some coherent pattern that would allow them to figure out where the Dark Kingdom would strike next, or at least some general area that would make working out patrol schedules simpler. While that was going on, Yuuno entered the room.
Everyone involved with the various interviews had been too busy compiling the results of their own interviews to touch bases with the other people involved. It looked like one of them had gotten his own notes in good enough order to try correlating them with everyone elseÆs.
ôSo, what have you found out, Yuuno?ö Hayate asked.
ôWell, for starters, I have what is apparently the reason the Moon Kingdom was destroyed, but itÆs rather strange.ö He answered.
ôWhat is it?ö Nanoha inquired.
ôApparently, this war is being fought over your love life.ö
ôEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!ö
Omake: Aborted war
ôSo you have finally come out of hiding, Serenity.ö Beryl snarled. ôYou should have kept cowering in your hole. I will crush you, and Endymion will be mine.ö
Nanoha looked confused. ôWhy would I want Kamen-san when I have Fate-chan?ö
Beryl froze. ôYou meanà You donÆt want him?ö
Nanoha shook her head, placing an arm around Fate, a gesture that Fate eagerly returned.
Beryl squealed in glee. ôThatÆs great!ö She cast a spell that dragged Tuxedo Kamen towards her.
ôBut my Queen, what about reviving Metallia?ö Kunzite protested.
ôWho cares about that thing? I only agreed to serve it in exchange for the power to defeat my rival. Since sheÆs already forfeited the prize, thereÆs no need to bother with all that.ö With that, Beryl vanished, taking Tuxedo Kamen with her. Her Generals exchanged glances, and then also left.
There was a moment of awkward silence. Then Jupiter turned to her fellow Senshi.
ôDo any of your families have a well stocked liquor cabinet?ö She asked.
ôMy grandfather tends to drink a lot. Why?ö Mars answered.
ôWeÆve spent a year and a half fighting a war in the shadows, and the war just got called off because our princess declared that she was a lesbian. I say we all get completely wasted and try to forget that this whole thing ever happened. All in favor?ö
She was answered by a chorus of Ayes, and the Senshi left for the last activity that they would ever perform as a team.
A/N: I know the ranks of the various characters donÆt match up to the ranks they hold in StrikerS. Since this takes place before that point, I have arbitrarily reduced their ranks a grade or two.
Why are Rei, Makoto, Luna and Mamoru getting off with community service? Future friends introducing themselves via an unprovoked attack is as much a MGLN tradition as Befriending. Fate, Aruf, and every member of the Wolkenritter other than Rein first started their relationship with Nanoha by attacking her. And every single time, Nanoha was willing to give them a second chance once they explained themselves. But given the circumstances, those four will not be trusted to operate without supervision until they have proven themselves.
Hayate brought some generic TSAB mooks with her. They will for the most part remain nameless. Their most important role is likely to take up the routine patrols so that the Senshi can afford to take the time to get trained properly.
The only reason the TSAB mooks were able to do such a good job fighting against the Senshi is because of the training gap. And because of the mindset difference, they wouldnÆt have done so well in a real fight. A real fight would have had three Senshi and Kamen incapacitated, in exchange for four agents dead, with the other two possibly joining them shortly afterwards.
The White Devil of the Moon
By Bissek
Chapter 6
Briefings and Debriefings
The palace was burning. Its halls echoed with the sounds of battle and the cries of the wounded and dying. The palace guards had long known that the infrequent full court gatherings were a security nightmare û a bombing or attack could result in the near total destruction of the upper tiers of the Moon KingdomÆs government. One of the precautions in place was to have the Senshi on call to respond to any trouble reported by the outer perimeter of guards, so that any serious attack could be stopped before it got to the palace proper.
Unfortunately, that strategy made the basic assumption that the outer perimeter would last long enough to sound the alarm. By the time the attack was noticed, the youma had breached the palace walls and were roaming the hallways. And the phenomenal power of the Sailor Senshi wasnÆt really suited for close quarters. Any one of them could have decimated the attacking ranks with a powerful blast of elemental magic had they been fighting the invaders outside of the palace. Inside the palace, they couldnÆt use their full power without endangering the members of the court they were trying to protect. Also, the attackers had spread out after the initial breach, which meant that there generally werenÆt enough youma in any one place that the raw power of a Senshi wiping them out would have any significant impact on the battle as a whole. There was no longer any real possibility of victory in this battle. Only the faint hope that they could evacuate enough people that there would be a chance of rebuilding once the carnage stopped.
That was what Sailor Venus had been sent to do û to protect the QueenÆs heir so that she could hopefully create a new Moon Kingdom from the ashes of the old. The Queen knew that she was unlikely to survive using the Ginzuisho to stop the attackers, so she had entrusted the leader of her Senshi with the task of guarding the girl who would be queen, one way or another, by the time this night was done.
Venus ran through the hallways, cutting down any youma to cross her path with her crystal sword. Her body was covered in minor wounds, she was drenched in sweat, and she was panting for breath from exertion. It didnÆt matter. The Queen had entrusted her with the task of ensuring the Moon KingdomÆs future, and she would fulfill her duty, no matter what.
After fighting her way across what seemed like several miles of the palace hallways, Venus finally found Princess Serenity and her betrothed cornered in what had been a room with a rear exit before a ceiling collapse destroyed it. With no time to catch her breath, she raised her blade and attacked the youma closing in on her future queen.
Venus had barely managed to finish off the last of the youma when another figure entered the room û Kunzite, one of Prince EndymionÆs generals and one of the individuals reported as leading the army of youma in their attack. Were it not for the fact that the monsters were attacking the visiting dignitaries from Earth as readily as they did the locals, she might have suspected that the entire battle was a plot by EndymionÆs people to conquer the Moon Kingdom. No matter. Right now she had to perform her duty. Worrying about how this catastrophe came to be could wait.
ôYouà goà noà further.ö She gasped.
ôIÆd like to see you stop me.ö He countered.
As their blades clashed, Venus knew she was at a disadvantage. She had been worn down by continuous fighting, her opponent was still fresh. Kunzite was also good enough that he wasnÆt likely to leave her an opening on purpose. Venus found herself on the defensive, knowing even as she blocked her enemyÆs attacks that she was more likely to make the first mistake than he was if she remained that way. She had to break his pattern and create an opening, or she would lose the fight.
As KunziteÆs blade swung at her side, Venus saw a chance to take the offensive. The timing would be harder than a simple block, but it would give her the opening she needed to actually strike her opponent. She urged her exhausted muscles to move her sword into position for a counter.
She wasnÆt fast enough. KunziteÆs blade sank into her ribs, cutting deep into her torso. Her sword dropped from her fingers as she fell to the ground. The relief that had entered the eyes of the princess changed to despair as her champion died. As she bled out on the floor, VenusÆs last thought was that she had failed her queen.
Minako jerked upright as the nightmare ended. Realizing that she was not going to get back to sleep after that, no matter what the time, she staggered out of bed, clutching her side as it ached in phantom pain. Those TV psychics who prattled on about getting in touch with their past lives had clearly never actually done it û if they had, they wouldnÆt have been interested in talking about it in public.
Why couldnÆt she ever relive a fun memory of her past life, like a really hot date or something? She had never once relived a moment where Sailor Venus had enjoyed herself. The most common memory by far was the night she died; leaving Minako to cope with the echoes of her past lifeÆs dying guilt over failing in her duties. The knowledge that she had actually managed to successfully protect the princess from the agents of the Dark Kingdom in the time since she last relived that night had not blunted the feeling.
Minako wondered if her colleagues suffered from chronic nightmares of their deaths at the hands of BerylÆs minions back in the Silver Millennium. TheyÆd never really felt comfortable enough around each other to compare notes on such things.
Maybe, if she was really lucky, the memories, or at least that specific memory, would stop coming to mind once the war was over once and for all. That would be nice. Minako wondered when Nanoha and Fate would contact her. She had a feeling that the lull caused by JadeiteÆs death wouldnÆt last forever.
Yuuno drifted across the Infinite Library. It had taken years of work, but he had finally gotten the TSABÆs main archive organized enough that data requests could be responded to in less than a week if they landed on the desk of anyone other than him. Maybe now he could delegate some of the work load to his assistants and take some time off for some archeological work that was his original job. So far, every time he had done that before, he had found an enormous workload waiting for him, passed on from other librarians who couldnÆt track down the information that was requested. Once they had actually had to pull him from a dig to get his help with a critical case.
He and Nanoha had drifted apart over the years, mainly because both of them were too busy for anything to possibly grow between them. He knew that there were people who speculated that he had been in a serious relationship with the Ace of Aces, but nothing had ever really happened. Other people had made similar speculation concerning Nanoha and Fate (something that Yuuno suspected that Fate wouldnÆt mind being true), but as far as he could tell, Nanoha was married to her job. At least, she had been up until her hospital stay forced her to realize that the only serious relationship she had gotten into had turned abusiveà
The Device he had acquired to replace Raising Heart announced that he had a call. Bringing up the comm window, he saw that it was Hayate.
ôHello, Yuuno.ö Hayate said. ôWe just got a message from Fate.ö
ôI thought Fate said she didnÆt want any communication between her and us until she got back from vacation,ö Yuuno pointed out, ôSomething about how if Nanoha heard of anything that she felt she was needed to help deal with, sheÆd push herself too hard and wreck her convalescence.ö This was something that Yuuno felt was worryingly plausible.
ôIÆm afraid that despite FateÆs best efforts, work found them. Nanoha ended up overstraining her Linker Core again when someone attacked her brotherÆs wedding. Fate sent us some background data from a civilian mage who helped contain the attack, but itÆs a little strange. Could you do some research into this and see if you can corroborate any of this?ö
Yuuno sighed. It looked like his break from library work to go back to archeology would have to be postponed. Looking over the file he had just been sent, he prepared to search for any information he could find on a long-destroyed nation known as the Moon Kingdom.
Two days later, Yuuno was called to a meeting to present the results of his research. Straightening the stack of notes he had taken, he walked to the head of the conference room.
ôGood afternoon, gentlemen,ö He began, taking the tone of voice he used when delivering a paper to a seminar, ôIÆve been looking into the background information provided to us by the civilian mage who aided in defeating the attempted assassination of Lt. Takamachi. While I have not been able to find any evidence to prove or disprove the alleged connection between Lt. Takamachi and this Moon Kingdom, I have been able to find records proving that this Moon Kingdom existed.
ôThis Moon Kingdom, or perhaps, Queendom, since it appeared to be matriarchic, existed during the same time period as Al-Hazard. There was limited contact between the two civilizations, but there is no evidence of any kind of regular diplomatic communication or regular trade routes between them. This is why earlier research into the history of Al-Hazard didnÆt notice or comment on them.
ôThe Moon Kingdom was a multi-planet polity that occupied a single solar system, controlling just about everything there except for one planet which was self-governed. Judging from what weÆve been told by Enforcer Harlaown, that independent planet was probably Unadministered Planet #97. The Sailor Senshi mentioned in the original report were apparently an elite mage unit which consisted of one representative of each planet in the Moon Kingdom.
ôThe artifact known as the Ginzuisho also existed. It appears to be an extremely powerful Lost Logia similar to the Jewel Seeds, which had a disturbingly high chance of killing the user. Because of this, it was apparently only used in emergencies. It was supposed to only be usable by the Queen or her heir, but IÆm not sure of the accuracy of that claim. It was considered to be one of the crown jewels, so itÆs highly unlikely that anyone else would ever be able to get a hold of it long enough to try using it.
ôAs to what caused the collapse of the Moon Kingdom, IÆm afraid that I canÆt say. The second to last record I was able to find didnÆt mention any known internal or external threat threatening the region. The absolute last record reports finding every single planet, station, moon and asteroid in the Moon Kingdom being completely depopulated, with the population Unadministered Planet #97 having been blasted back to barbarism. These two records are roughly three months apart in time. Since nobody could figure out what had caused the calamity, let alone whether or not said cause was likely to return, no attempts to claim the now deserted territory were made.ö
ôSo thereÆs no evidence of this entity known as Metallia?ö An admiral asked.
ôThereÆs no mention of it, but the only records we have come from casual outside observers, and even those are fragmentary. ItÆs quite possible that these observers never heard of this Metallia, even if a significant fraction of the populace knew of its existence. Whatever it was that destroyed the Moon Kingdom, it struck hard enough and fast enough to wipe out an entire civilization û one which had spread across an entire solar system û to the last man. And when it struck, it did so fast enough that there were no distress calls sent, no refugee ships fleeing the system, and no evidence of its existence other than the destruction left in its wake.ö
ôAnd this disaster is going to repeat?ö
ôIt might,ö Hayate responded, ôAccording to the basic briefing we received from this Sailor Venus, Metallia was never destroyed, just incapacitated at a horrific cost. This Dark Kingdom appears to be trying to revive it. If it really was capable of wiping out almost all life in a solar system in three months or less, thereÆs no telling how much damage would result if it attacks again. It might not stop with destroying just one system.ö
The admiral looked troubled by that point. ôThank you for bringing this matter to my attention. Expect your orders in regards to this situation to arrive shortly.ö
Nanoha was resting in her own bed. With the wedding over and Kyouya off on his honeymoon, she and Fate had moved out of the hotel room in Tokyo and gone back to Unimari. While they both knew they would have to do something about the Dark Kingdom issue eventually, Nanoha wanted to be able to spend some time with her family and childhood friends.
Things were different in Unimari. Back when she was starting out as a mage, the only people without TSAB connections to know about her magical abilities were her relatives, Arisa, and Suzuka. Now, everybody knew. And while the majority of the population of Mid-Childa had magical abilities to some extent (though most did not come close to NanohaÆs power level), mages were an extreme rarity here on Unadministered Planet #97. Former classmates, many of whom she barely knew, wanted to know more about magic and her association with the apparently legendary Sailor Senshi. The Takamachis had been ultimately forced to have Aruf drive all unwanted guests away.
Aunt Misato had been able to find some information about the Sailor Senshi. While they had mainly been considered an urban legend, one of them, Sailor V, or Venus as she was later known, had been in the habit of doing occasional vigilante work in addition to hunting alleged (and now confirmed) monsters. She had a fairly good reputation with the police forces she had crossed paths with, although said officials in general were reluctant to publicly admit that they needed the assistance of any kind of vigilante, let alone a teenaged girl in a figure skating outfit, to keep the streets safe.
Nanoha heard a set of footsteps approach her room. She was surprised to find that her visitor was Shamal.
ôYouÆve certainly managed to mess yourself up, havenÆt you, Nanoha?ö She asked. Realizing that the question was rhetorical, Nanoha remained silent as Shamal activated Klair Wind and began her examination. Shamal frowned as she completed her investigation.
ôYou managed to seriously mess up your Linker Core, Nanoha,ö She pointed out, ôItÆs almost in as bad a shape it was in when you came out the coma. If you do something like that again, youÆll risk losing the ability to use magic completely.ö
Nanoha winced. Losing her magic forever? To never be able to fly again? That was something that had haunted her nightmares during the long months in the hospital when she was relearning how to walk. If it hadnÆt been for FateÆs help, she might have given up all hope.
ôIÆm afraid that IÆm going to have to insist that you not use any magic at all for the foreseeable future, Nanoha,ö Shamal continued. Nanoha nodded.
ôAre the others coming?ö Nanoha asked.
ôHayate just got approval to investigate the Lost Logia known as the Ginzuisho and the potential dimensional threat designated as Metallia. SheÆs with the rest of the Wolkenritter and our support team setting up a headquarters in Tokyo. Yuuno also came along. He said he was interested in doing some research on this Moon Kingdom. I was sent to check up on you and pick you up.ö
MinakoÆs patrol had seen some action, but not as much as there could have been. The Dark Kingdom operation had apparently been supported by two youma and one of the robots. The youma had been easy enough to deal with once she found a way to separate them from the robot. She still hadnÆt figured out exactly what had happened to the robot. Around the time she had finished with the second youma, she had heard an enraged scream and a lot of crashing noises. When Venus had made it to the sound of the commotion, the robot had apparently been smashed to scrap by a large hammer. The person who had demolished the robot was not around, but Venus thought that she had glimpsed something red briefly go by in the distance.
Reaching for her communicator, Venus was about to cancel the call for reinforcements she had put in (which would undoubtedly result in her colleagues being understandably upset about the unneeded disruption to their limited spare time) when she received a call. Opening the communicator, she saw that the caller was Fate.
ôSailor Venus?ö Fate asked.
ôYes?ö Venus responded.
ôWeÆd like to speak with you and your associates,ö This was followed by a time and place.
ôWeÆll be there.ö
ôGood. Oh, yes. Some friends of mine just came to town. One of them is rather upset about what happened to Nanoha, and is looking for something to vent on. If you see her, donÆt get in her way, you could get hurt û VitaÆs rather dangerous when sheÆs angry. ItÆs not hard to recognize her û sheÆs a little girl in a red dress with plush bunny heads on her hat and carries a metal croquet mallet. Whatever you do, do not make fun of her hat.ö
Venus looked as the wrecked machine she was standing next to. ôI think sheÆs already passed through here. IÆll see you at the meeting.ö With that, the conversation ended.
It had been nearly a week since the battle at the wedding. Up until that call was made, the most interesting development since that fight was the newspaper article that speculated that the attack might have been connected to a terrorist group whose leader had been killed by the groom during an attempt to kidnap Fiasse Crystela several years previously. This at least explained why the singer had been willing to attend the wedding, and how the guests were able to hold off JadeiteÆs troops for so long. But now, events were starting to move forward.
Venus set her communicator to æsend to allÆ and said five words that she had been hoping to speak or hear for well over a year.
ôThe Princess has summoned us.ö
Sailor Mars was understandably nervous as she approached the place where she and the other Senshi were to meet their princess at last. The princess had little reason to like her and Mars was forced to admit that the anticipated antipathy was justified. But how was she supposed to know that the unknown magical girl who hovered around the princess constantly was well intentioned? The Senshi as a whole had seen far too many cases of agents of the Dark Kingdom who had disguised themselves as ordinary people to get close to their target. The most painful example in MarsÆs eyes was her last battle from her previous life, where she had saved the life of a young girl from a group of youma, only to have the girl turn into another youma and fatally wound her from behind as she tried to move on to the next fight. The last thing she saw in that life was the youma that had killed her being cut down by Sailor Jupiter.
After everyone had gathered in a park that was close to the meeting place, they all headed towards the place where they were told that their princess was waiting for them. When Venus knocked on the door, Mars was surprised to find the door opened by a girl in a uniform who was only one foot tall and was floating in midair.
ôYou must be NanohaÆs knights!ö The miniature girl said. ôIÆm Sergeant First Class Reinforce Zwei. WeÆve been expecting you.ö
While that title wasnÆt exactly correct, it was close enough to the truth that none of the Senshi bothered to correct it. Mars did wonder how the living doll had managed to get a military rank as she led the Senshi inside.
The princess was sitting in a recliner, with two enormous dogs lying at her feet. She was dressed in what appeared to be a uniform of a different style than that worn by the tiny sergeant. There was a small ferret resting on her shoulder.
Four Senshi approached the princessÆs makeshift throne and knelt. They remained there, waiting for their future queen to acknowledge them. The moment was broken by the sound of a camera taking a picture. Heads turned to see another uniformed woman holding a camera.
ôHayate!ö The princess protested.
The other girl giggled. ôSorry, Nanoha, but we just had to capture this moment of history. Even if your subjects did fail to follow proper protocol in these matters,ö The photographer turned to address the Senshi. ôRoyalty or not, no soldier is entitled to a genuflection. When your monarch is in uniform, youÆre supposed to bow, not kneel.ö
While Luna bristled at the implication that she had failed to educate the Senshi properly in court protocol (something that the Senshi as a whole had not considered to be very important while they were busy trying to keep Beryl from destroying the world) and the Senshi climbed to their feet, several other people entered the room.
ôLet me introduce you to the TSAB personnel who have been assigned to this case.ö The princess began. ôMost of you have met Fate and Aruf,ö indicating the blonde that all of the Senshi were familiar with and her dog, which was considerably larger than Mars remembered, ôThe others are Yuuno,ö indicating the ferret, ôHayate,ö The girl with the camera, ôAnd HayateÆs knights, Signum, Vita, Shamal, Zafira, and Rein,ö Who were, respectively, a tall woman with pink hair, a very young redhead, a blonde who looked like a doctor, the grey dog, and the miniature girl the Senshi had already met. ôHayate is in charge.ö
ôYouÆre not going to lead us, your Highness?ö Artemis asked.
ôI canÆt. First, IÆm in no condition to be on the front lines. Second, IÆm a combat instructor, not a commander. Finally, Hayate is a major. IÆm just a first lieutenant. She outranks me.ö
That was something that none of the Senshi had considered. Their princess did not see herself as a ruler. She saw herself as a member of a foreign military force, and was deferring to her superiors in that force. From the perspective of a girl who mainly wanted the war to be over so that she didnÆt have to fight anymore, Mars didnÆt particularly care about that so long as this resulted in the Dark Kingdom going down, but she was willing to bet that Luna wouldnÆt care for that development one bit.
ôNow,ö The princess continued, ôWill you please identify yourselves? Your barrier jackets seem to have some disguise function built into them.ö
The Senshi exchanged glances. At VenusÆs nod, they all released their transformations. The princessÆs eyes widened as she recognized VenusÆs civilian identity. ôMinako?ö
ôHello, Nanoha.ö Minako said.
The two exchanged a look that clearly stated that they would need to talk at a later point, and then the major intervened.
ôI believe that some of you were involved in an unprovoked assault on a TSAB Enforcer a few weeks ago. Would the individuals responsible for that please identify themselves?ö
Knowing that she had to take responsibility for her potentially disastrous actions, Rei stepped forward, joined by Luna, Makoto, and Mamoru.
ôAttacking a police officer is a serious crime,ö The major stated, ôEven if the perpetrator is unaware of that the individual they assault is an officer of the peace. We would be well within our rights to lock you all up for several years. I hope you all understand that.ö The four nodded silently as they saw the princess look at them disapprovingly.
ôHowever, we have other possible sentences for crimes of this nature, which I believe may be valid given the circumstances. One of these is to sentence the perpetrators to a period of community service under TSAB supervision. Many of them even go on to join us full time when their sentence is over. I think you understand what IÆm getting at.ö
Rei did understand. If she agreed to work for the PrincessÆs employers while they worked to defeat the Dark Kingdom, she would be forgiven. The price she was to pay for her mistake was to complete her mission as a Sailor Senshi. All in all, the punishment was much lighter than she had feared it would be.
ôJust remember,ö Hayate continued. ôIf any of you cause any more trouble, we wonÆt be so merciful.ö
What followed was the most mentally exhausting experience the Senshi had ever been through. The Moon Cats were led off by the ferret, who surprised all of the Senshi by transforming into a young man shortly after jumping off the princessÆs shoulder (causing Minako to look at Artemis with extreme suspicion when it was revealed that the young man was a human who could turn into a ferret rather than the other way around). The cats were then subjected to an exhaustive interview about every single piece of background information they could extract from their scrambled memories about the chain of events that led up to the fall of the Moon Kingdom.
Meanwhile, the Senshi were getting a similar treatment concerning the current war against the Dark Kingdom. They were asked about exact time and location of every battle they had fought, the details of which were plotted on a large map of the area, which was analyzed by other people in the hopes of finding some sort of pattern. They were asked to provide detailed descriptions of all of the known field commanders in the Dark Kingdom, complete with whatever abilities they had demonstrated. They were questioned on the specific details of all of their battles. All of these efforts were hindered by the fact that apart from Ami, who had recorded a great deal of information in her computer, none of them had ever thought about doing something like this before, and after a year and a half of combat, the details started to blur together.
It took hours, and when it was over, they had all reasserted their opinion that they did not want to stay in that line of work any longer than they absolutely had to. When they were finally allowed to leave, they were told to return the next day for an evaluation of their combat skills.
Upon returning the next day, they discovered that the TSAB had the ability to create time/space distortions in which they could train without being observed by outsiders or destroying the landscape. Then they were set against several low end TSAB agents while their princess and her friends observed them from their base.
ôThey arenÆt very well coordinated. They donÆt seem to be able to do much in the way of joint tactics unless Mercury comes up with a plan and tells the others about it out loud. Which gives the plan away.ö Hayate noted.
ôThey arenÆt very good at keeping track of everyone on the battlefield, either. Look at how Venus and Jupiter just managed to get in each otherÆs way.ö Nanoha added.
ôThey donÆt seem to have many spells, and what they have arenÆt very fast.ö Fate continued, and then winced as one TSAB mage was enveloped in a fireball. ôBut if they see an opening, they can definitely make a hit count. IÆm not sure they know how to pull a hit.ö
ôThatÆs not surprising,ö Signum said. ôFrom what IÆve heard, only one of them has experience in fights which werenÆt literal life-or-death battles. TheyÆve probably never had any use for non-lethal spells, even if they had someplace to hold a prisoner once they had one.ö
The others nodded. They could certainly understand focusing oneÆs training to meet the problems they knew they would be facing. It was a known fact that SignumÆs skill in fire magic could incinerate a large forest in minutes but couldnÆt heat a furo without cooking the bather alive. As a Belkan knight, it had never occurred to her to use her magic for non-martial purposes until fairly recently.
ôYouÆre right,ö Nanoha agreed. ôThe two sides are fighting with different rules of engagement. Our people are fighting as if theyÆre in a police action. TheyÆre trying to contain and capture their opponents. The Senshi are fighting as if theyÆre in a war. TheyÆre trying to take their opponents out of action as quickly as possible. If it wasnÆt for the difference in training, this would totally one sided.ö
ôWhat are their power levels like?ö Hayate asked.
ôIt looks like theyÆre all functioning around A class, but they arenÆt even close to operating at their full capacity. It looks like every single one of them will end up as AAA class or higher if they reach their full potential.ö The technician running the monitor reported.
Fate cringed. If the two that had ambushed her been close to their full power, they might very well have been able to kill her.
The mock battle ended with Jupiter knocking the last two TSAB mages unconscious with her bare hands after all the other Senshi had been caught in binds. A win for the Senshi, but a rather Pyrrhic one considering that the match had been 5 A class mages against 6 C class mages.
Nanoha walked up to the console and pressed a button. A comm window appeared inside the training area.
ôAlright, thatÆs enough for now. Help the injured get back to base for treatment and then you can call it a night. IÆll let you know when IÆm ready to conduct your first lesson.ö She said.
The barrier dispersed, and the injured were carted off to ShamalÆs care. Then the Senshi dispersed.
As Nanoha worked out how best to train her would-be protectors, Hayate and the Wolkenritter resumed their examination of the SenshiÆs debriefing, trying to figure out some coherent pattern that would allow them to figure out where the Dark Kingdom would strike next, or at least some general area that would make working out patrol schedules simpler. While that was going on, Yuuno entered the room.
Everyone involved with the various interviews had been too busy compiling the results of their own interviews to touch bases with the other people involved. It looked like one of them had gotten his own notes in good enough order to try correlating them with everyone elseÆs.
ôSo, what have you found out, Yuuno?ö Hayate asked.
ôWell, for starters, I have what is apparently the reason the Moon Kingdom was destroyed, but itÆs rather strange.ö He answered.
ôWhat is it?ö Nanoha inquired.
ôApparently, this war is being fought over your love life.ö
ôEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!ö
Omake: Aborted war
ôSo you have finally come out of hiding, Serenity.ö Beryl snarled. ôYou should have kept cowering in your hole. I will crush you, and Endymion will be mine.ö
Nanoha looked confused. ôWhy would I want Kamen-san when I have Fate-chan?ö
Beryl froze. ôYou meanà You donÆt want him?ö
Nanoha shook her head, placing an arm around Fate, a gesture that Fate eagerly returned.
Beryl squealed in glee. ôThatÆs great!ö She cast a spell that dragged Tuxedo Kamen towards her.
ôBut my Queen, what about reviving Metallia?ö Kunzite protested.
ôWho cares about that thing? I only agreed to serve it in exchange for the power to defeat my rival. Since sheÆs already forfeited the prize, thereÆs no need to bother with all that.ö With that, Beryl vanished, taking Tuxedo Kamen with her. Her Generals exchanged glances, and then also left.
There was a moment of awkward silence. Then Jupiter turned to her fellow Senshi.
ôDo any of your families have a well stocked liquor cabinet?ö She asked.
ôMy grandfather tends to drink a lot. Why?ö Mars answered.
ôWeÆve spent a year and a half fighting a war in the shadows, and the war just got called off because our princess declared that she was a lesbian. I say we all get completely wasted and try to forget that this whole thing ever happened. All in favor?ö
She was answered by a chorus of Ayes, and the Senshi left for the last activity that they would ever perform as a team.
A/N: I know the ranks of the various characters donÆt match up to the ranks they hold in StrikerS. Since this takes place before that point, I have arbitrarily reduced their ranks a grade or two.
Why are Rei, Makoto, Luna and Mamoru getting off with community service? Future friends introducing themselves via an unprovoked attack is as much a MGLN tradition as Befriending. Fate, Aruf, and every member of the Wolkenritter other than Rein first started their relationship with Nanoha by attacking her. And every single time, Nanoha was willing to give them a second chance once they explained themselves. But given the circumstances, those four will not be trusted to operate without supervision until they have proven themselves.
Hayate brought some generic TSAB mooks with her. They will for the most part remain nameless. Their most important role is likely to take up the routine patrols so that the Senshi can afford to take the time to get trained properly.
The only reason the TSAB mooks were able to do such a good job fighting against the Senshi is because of the training gap. And because of the mindset difference, they wouldnÆt have done so well in a real fight. A real fight would have had three Senshi and Kamen incapacitated, in exchange for four agents dead, with the other two possibly joining them shortly afterwards.
